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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. present — there
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. band — a ring
  10. bulb — for light
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. cell — in biology
  15. present — the time now
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fine — all right
  18. row — to paddle
  19. band — a music group
  20. present — a gift
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com